First NameLast Name Email Address PhoneYear of BirthNumber of Guest(s)

Ticket Type

Café Riche: Historically Rich, Real Cappuccino

Published On:
02/06/2010

One thing we love
about Cairo is the fact that you will never run out of exciting places to
stumble upon or discover. Café Riche is the kind of Downtown coffee place that
you can walk by every day and notice that everyone inside always looks happy,
no matter what time of day it is.

Built in 1908,
Café Riche boasts a casual atmosphere laden with nostalgia and deeply entrenched
with Egyptian historical significance. Long-time patrons have said that back in
its bustling beginning, the café was quite the happening place for
intellectuals and artists alike; mulling over endless cups of coffee as they
discussed life’s philosophies and politics. Rumour also has it that in 1952,
Café Riche was where Abdel Nasser’s regime planned their coup that would soon
overthrow King Farouk’s rule.

With history in
tow, the café itself is a historical landmark among many in the area, located
between Tahrir Square and Talaat Harb Square on Talaat Harb Street. Once you
scurry off the busy street and slide through its humble entrance, you’re
quickly greeted by friendly staff dressed in traditional garb. Enjoy the café’s
eclectic mix of patrons engaging in different activities like reading books, holding
meetings, or catching up with friends.

In the narrow
main corridor, local artwork lines the walls while the charming table
arrangements are composed of the ever-common tiny wooden chairs, checked red and
white tablecloths, and as a plus, high quality cloth napkins. Simple, glossy
flower vases grace the centre top, complete with one single, fresh flower;
tying in a cosy, personal touch. While an adjacent room is just next door, its
green fluorescent lighting gives off a strange feel.

They offer a full-scale
menu including a variety of espressos, coffees and fresh juices. While the
lemon juice (10LE) wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, the cappuccino (12LE)
was satisfying with a surprisingly sufficient amount of foam. The mint tea
(8LE) came as a sweet arrangement of your own kettle, providing enough water
for a few cups. If mint is your thing, you should be pleased; as the mint
literally filled the kettle with freshness and a powerful punch of flavour.
Beers are also offered, which is rare for a café, with both Stella and Heineken
available for 13LE.

Salads, including
your traditional Greek, run around 7LE. Chicken platters including shish tawook
and similar dishes are offered.

From its historical
and convenient location to the tasty, decently priced drinks, Café Riche is
definitely the place to go for a relaxing drink or two with friends, or an
afternoon spent reading that book you’ve been dying to finish.

Whilst most of the newer restaurants in Cairo claim to serve up authentic Egyptian meals, nothing quite compares to the delights of longstanding, local koshary establishments. Downtown Cairo is packed with cheap and delicious koshary restaurants with fast, friendly service where you can opt to dine in or take away. Building up an almost unrivalled reputation, just two blocks from Tahrir Square, Abou Tarek's restaurant is spread over two floors; a necessity due to its popularity and bustle. However, the décor is a little more flamboyant than most koshary outlets, with artificial greenery and several large, tropical fish tanks, tempting customers to sit and eat. Downstairs, there's also a television if you like a little entertainment while you dine. The generous bowls of koshary start from as little as 3LE, though it is possible to purchase a range of sizes for just a few pounds more. For 10LE, big eaters will be afforded a humungous portion. Of course, no koshary meal would be complete without the essential garlic dressing, da'a, and chilli sauce, both of which Abou Tarek do fantastically. There is also a small range of canned drinks (4LE) and mineral water (2LE) to wash down that delightful meal. We waited less than five minutes for two bowls of delicious koshary which werw not only served quickly, but also with a smile from the locals who run the establishment – just another one of the special, very vital ingredients that really do make a difference. Though koshary is the main focus, should you have room for dessert, sweet, creamy rice pudding is amongst the options, and cost a mere 3LE per serving. Serving some of the best-tasting koshary in the heart of Downtown Cairo, Abou Tarek has once again proved to be a must-go for all koshary fans.

Westown Hub, SODIC West km38, Cairo-Alex Desert Rd., 6th of October City

We don’t really understand the correlation between summertime and junk food, but it seems like our cravings for all things sinful are heightened during the hotter months in Cairo. The concept of gourmet burgers continues to be trendy on the fad-loving Cairo dining scene and Butcher’s Burger’s increasing popularity has seen it open another branch in 6th of October City’s Westown Hub.

The medium-sized restaurant offer both indoor and outdoor seating and is hard to miss in the food-court thanks in-part to the yellow mini-bus prop in the outdoor area. Carrying its usual relaxed, kitschy, steakhouse vibe, our waiter dropped by with menus as soon as we were seated.

Offering the usual goldmine of burger variations, the menu stays true to the joint’s signatures. The Milano Burger (54LE), which features mozzarella cheese and pesto sauce as toppings, as well as the Hawaiian Burger (52LE), which features pineapple and Teriyaki sauce, definitely caught our watchful eyes.

Ultimately, though, we decided to go for classics, opting for The Mighty Butcher (77LE) and the Butcher’s Mushroom Burger (54LE). Our order, as promised, arrived within 20 minutes.

Both burgers came with a side of French fries, which were a bit too scarce for our liking, as well as a small serving of Coleslaw. The Mighty Butcher, which consisted of a 300g medium-well grilled beef patty as requested, topped with cheese, jalapenos, lettuce, beef bacon, garlic-mayo and caramelised onions, was everything you need it to be: filling, delicious and oh-so-satisfying. The Butcher’s Mushroom Burger was smaller than the former, yet still filling, with grilled mushrooms topping its well-done beef patty, alongside onion rings, as requested and no Swiss cheese as per our wishes. Both patties tasted fresh and were seasoned well, while the toppings and sauces made for good, trusty combinations.

All in all, from the immaculateness of the place, to the friendliness of the waiters ,to the accuracy when it comes to the orders to the mouth-watering burgers, the Westown Hub branch of Butcher’s Burger was almost faultless. We would have, however, preferred our fries, which were oh-so-crisp, to have been offered in a more generous portion.